Blog Archives

Why are Escape Plan Board Game Games so good?

8/11/2021

This is probably the most “opinion piece” type article that I will write on my site, as I usually pick games that I am not super into, but others are, just so I can have a more clear head when analysing the design of them.

If you are unaware, Brendan Mills from Escape Plan Board Games is behind (currently) two published games, “Stop the Train!” and “Hit the Silk!”. Both games rely on player interaction, bluffing, deception, but most of all, they rely on themes. Both games are heavily thematic, and are essentially designed as if they were the climax of super intense action movies, as you may be able to gauge from the titles of both games respectively.

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Langskip Board Game Development Blog #3 (January-March 2021) Designing a Bluffing Game

8/5/2021

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Here we are; we have arrived at my most anticipated post in this series of development diaries. First and foremost, I am a game designer, so my favourite topic in game development is, of course, design!

Now I love reading and listening to other designers, learning from them, and I enjoy engaging with another designer's philosophy. However, I completely understand and respect that most people not in this space wouldn't be too interested. Instead, I wanted to format this post to be more relatable to a broader audience. So instead, let's talk about my design goals from the beginning of the game's development and how I accomplished those goals.

Design Goals

To create a simple pick up and play gateway game centred around bluffing.
Create a viewable game.
To encourage player's to partake in bluffing in unique ways compared to direct competitors.
To develop enough unique sub-mechanisms to promote strategies that are different with every game and aren't necessary strategies that I purposefully designed.

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Author

Hello, my name is Niall Crabtree, and this is my comprehensive blog showcasing all of my game development
endeavors and successes, as well as essays on game design.

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